Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat topple Boston Celtics to steal Game 1 of East finals

BOSTON – Jimmy Butler carried the Miami Heat during the first two rounds of the post-season, and the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals was no different.

Butler played a solid all-around game on Wednesday, racking up 35 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds while leading the Heat to a 123-116 victory over hosts Boston Celtics.

“He’s not playing for numbers. He’s trying to help the offence get the best possible high-percentage shot,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler.

“Down the stretch, Jimmy was able to just do everything we needed as a scorer or as a facilitator. He’s willing to do both.”

Butler raised his 2023 post-season average to 31.5 with his fifth 30-point effort in 11 games. He stopped short of saying he is playing better than ever but asserted the Miami coaching staff has set him up for success.

“I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so and not putting a limit on my game,” the forward said.

“They are trusting me with the ball and on the defensive end, and that’s what any basketball player wants. What anyone wants in life is to be wanted, to be appreciated and just let you go out there and rock.”

Butler and the Heat were doing most of the rocking – particularly during a 46-point third quarter – while delivering the opening salvo in the best-of-seven series.

“When Jimmy’s playing like that, we feel like we can play with anybody, beat anybody. We got a couple of guys in this locker room like that, but Jimmy’s one of a kind,” Gabe Vincent told ESPN.

Kyle Lowry added: “It’s fun. He’s one of the best players in the world for a reason. It’s just a joy to watch it.

“For a guy that wants it so bad and works so hard at his craft, it’s important to enjoy his success.

“He gives us all the confidence to be successful, be aggressive and be assertive. That’s what makes him special, that it’s not all about him. He’s about our group, our team and everyone else.”

Bam Adebayo recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Heat recovered from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit at TD Garden. Lowry, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Vincent all scored 15 points for Miami.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and seven rebounds, and Jaylen Brown added 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Boston.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points, Robert Williams III had 14 points and seven rebounds, while Marcus Smart registered 13 points and 11 assists for the Celtics.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is on Friday night in Boston.

Letting a double-digit lead get away at home was disappointing to Tatum, who said: “We’re going to watch film and talk about it. We’ll discuss the things we did well and the things we can do better and come out and execute better on Friday.”

Miami shot 54.1 per cent from the field, including 16 of 31 (51.6 per cent) from three-point range, while Boston made 51.9 per cent of their shots and were 10 of 29 (34.5 per cent) from behind the arc.

Miami trailed 66-57 at half-time before outscoring Boston 46-25 in the third quarter to take a 12-point advantage.

“We got away from who we are in the third quarter,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.

“I thought the first half was good. I thought we just let go of the rope in the third quarter. Lost our sense of urgency. We played harder than them in the first half, and they played harder than us in the third quarter.” REUTERS, AFP